...a day in the life....

Found: Sand Dollar on Whitecap Beach - Padre Island, Gulf of Mexico

_ _ _

MONDAY MORSELS

If you've read the few most recent posts, you know that during the month of September through the end of October, there is an area just north of town, on the outskirts of Corpus Christi, in a small suburb called Callallen, Texas, there is large area of land, now a park, that was donated to the city/county by a woman who long ago was an avid birder. In her stipulations of granting the city the land it was to remain a wild area for migrating and year 'round birds. There is the Nueces [pronounced new ACE ees] River that borders the northeast side of the park, along with a large pond in the middle, with a couple of smaller ponds just to the other side of the larger one. Upon keeping this area a remote area, and yet making it birder/family friendly, the city and county has added several amenities...picnic tables along the riverbank, several observation decks hidden in the palm and live oak trees on the heavily wooded area of the larger pond. And a small paved road that encircles the flatland in between!!! This is where there is a world renowned hawk migration that occurs annually. HUNDREDS upon THOUSANDS of several species of hawks use the two thermal highways [migrating routes] that intersect over this particular park. After the day of getting the car's battery replaced, we did go the following day. We saw just a few hawks flying above us at such a distance I couldn't easily photograph them. That's okay...makes me want to return before the end of October to perhaps get luckier another time. While there the other day, just beyond the tree lined area to park cars, across the road, there is a vast, covered, observation deck that looks over the tree tops, over the pond and river bank...you can see with a good pair of binoculars the great open prairie land beyond [not the one in photo here, I didn't take a photo of the larger deck]. There are several boards posted to let us know just what hawks/and other birds have been noted in the recent days. Bud and I looked through our binoculars for some time, like maybe a half hour...and knowing me, by then, it was about time to do some trekking around the pond. We usually park our car and walk around the road and into the bush/trees to find other birds. This day, we saw caracara, scissortail flycatchers, doves, cardinals, green jays, hummingbirds, ibis, herons, stilts, egrets, ducks, and more. Oh, and a couple of vultures way above us...with the one lone hawk. After getting back into the car to drive around to the other side of the pond -- driving along the river bank, we stopped at the family area, where there are more picnic areas and a small playground for children. Parking under the shade of the huge live oak trees, we got out to walk around in search for land birds. Once out, and into the area amongst the trees, we spotted a NEW, and still being constructed birding observation deck that looks onto the pond from another point of view!!! While there, this is where we spotted the hawk. I was totally impressed with this yet unfinished deck...it will be lighted for winter night time viewing ---at least around dusk and just after sunset - the park closes at 9PM. Anyway, to stop babbling on and on, I read in my hawk report newsletter that this year, this particular area will perhaps count the millionth hawk migrate since they began keeping track in the early 1990s. Twenty some years...a million hawks flying over...that is a lot of hawks!!! On this particular day, I managed to take 47 photos...and only 3 were blurred. LOL So, there will be added photos on my bird blog!!

Blogger/Google NOTICE to all visitors:
As a courtesy,
we have added a notice on this blog to help meet these regulations. The notice lets visitors know about Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies on your blog,
including Google Analytics and AdSense cookies.

I love to find sand dollars ... we usually find a LOT in Hilton Head, mostly live ones, so they stay in Hilton Head. ;-) Even though they're fairly common there, it's still exciting to me when I find one.

I had to laugh at your closing line - been there myself. :)Great closeup of the sand dollar! I remember finding my first one on a vacation many many years ago as we traveled through St. Augustine Florida.

Blog Contents

Translate

NEWS FLASH:I NOW HAVE A BOOK PUBLISHEDTitled Wings Over My Texas * * *
in several formats:

B/W paperback and KINDLE

OR

FULL COLOR EDITION* * *Description excerpt: A non-scientific photographic study of over 200 birds, common, rare, and vagrant birds, along the Coastal Bend of South Texas. Areas include Corpus Christi, Port A...check out the book details on this linked site!!